Empowerment Articles

We have a saying in our family, “fair, fair, fair, fair.” If someone is feeling a little hard-done-by and making comparisons, a light hearted “fair, fair, fair, fair” will usually get them back on track. Expecting life to be fair is something most of us never grow out of. “It’s not fair. So and so ... Continue Reading »

I write because I have to. Not because I have a million amazing thoughts racing around my head that must be written down, or that I have ideas nobody has ever heard, words worth repeating, insights, perspectives or lessons nobody else has learned. I don’t write because I’m clever, have a way with words or ... Continue Reading »

The story I am about to tell you is all completely true, profound and stays with me to this day. A lesson I’m still learning, a lesson a child is still teaching. It is about a boy and a pair of old wooden clogs. Take a seat, put your feet up. He was 4. He ... Continue Reading »

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Look back over your life and remember some of the times you found strength inside yourself you didn’t know you had. If only we had some way to remind ourselves of the times we’ve been strong as a first ... Continue Reading »

An open letter to my 14yr old Son. Dear son. Being a boy sucks. Especially when your mother is a man-hater. So lucky for you, your mother isn’t. But, I think I may have given you the impression I am and feel the need to explain. Although I do happen to believe that many of ... Continue Reading »

Well I went and did it. My kids begged me not to, nodding their heads in disbelief that I could do such a thing to them. My husband encouraged me to give it a try. As he does with most things. Sometimes this is great, sometimes it just isn’t. I wasn’t sure how this one ... Continue Reading »

I had a friend who suffered the pain and frustration of ALS, a disease that destroys the body but leaves the mind in tact, which is a double agony because you are WAY too aware of your own deterioration. Seeing the way my friend, Gary, handled this torment was one of the most inspiring sights ... Continue Reading »

During the week I found a drawer in our house that I’d never noticed before. It had 5 eggs and an envelope with $1k in it. I asked Meg if she knew about it. She told me that every time I give a poor speech she puts an egg in the drawer. I said to ... Continue Reading »

1. I have a louder than most would agree necessary laugh 2. A wonky social filter that kicks in sporadically. 3. An eye for sorrow lurking in corners. 4. A stubborn unsubstantiated confidence that the best in life will always bob up to the top. 5. I don’t wake up well. If given time and ... Continue Reading »

To be fearless is to live without certainty. It is to dip at least one toe into the future without knowing how it will feel (how potentially good it will feel) or where exactly it will lead you (potentially some incredibly exciting place) or who will join you (potentially some phenomenal people). In other words ... Continue Reading »

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“What to expect when you’re expecting.” That was the name of the go-to pregnancy book back in the day. The title has always stuck with me. What is it we expect of our expectations? Or to use a current phrase, how do we manage our expectations? Just in case you have great expectations that this [...]

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” ~ Joseph Campell The danger of following crowds has never been more frighteningly evident than this past week. The stampede during the pilgrimage in Mecca killed 800 people and injured over 1000. I can’t even imagine the terror of being crushed or suffocated in a [...]

“When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘We’ even illness becomes wellness.” I never really understood that saying until Mum died. But now it makes all the sense in the world to me. I’ve always been someone who tries to live a healthy life. I’ve fasted and exercised to the point of pain. But every now and [...]

I got the call about mum at 9 in the morning. What happened next was a bit of a blur, but I remember the two hour train ride to the hospital vividly. I felt so helpless. At least when you’re driving you have your own feet on the pedals. In the train I was at [...]

The death of a mother is the first sorrow wept without her. This is very true for me right now. I have shared every joy and crisis in my life with my mum, until this one. This is the first grief I am doing without her. My mum was small in size but had a [...]